1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to self-illuminating writing devices, and, more particularly, to an adjustable, self-illuminating, writing instrument.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known, it is difficult for individuals to write on paper when there is insufficient light present. However, there are many situations where this type of writing is required. For example, students must take notes during movie and slide presentations, where illumination is low. Some occupations require the completion of log books and forms in the dark, or in dark vehicles. These can include truck drivers, cab drivers, delivery persons, insurance adjusters and appraisers, and law enforcement personnel. Other jobs (for example food servers) often require writing in dimly lit conditions. Doctors and nurses must write important medical information on patients' room charts without turning on the lights and disturbing them. Travelers in automobiles, buses, trains and airplanes at night also face this situation.
Conventional writing instruments do not offer illumination of the paper being written on. Using bulky pen lights in conjunction with conventional writing instruments is awkward and difficult. As a result, the need for an improved and maneuverable self-illuminated writing instrument exists.
Early devices provided for an illumination device which was external to the writing instrument. These devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 1,345,962, issued in the name of Sanders, consisted of a small flashlight type device which clamped to the body of a writing instrument. Such devices, however, were bulky and weighted one side of the writing device, making the devices not ergonomic and uncomfortable to use.
Later devices disclosed the source of illumination internal to the writing instrument. Examples of these devices are U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,894, issued in the name of Kuch et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,274, issued in the name of Hanggi. These devices, however, are bulky, and provide for uneven illumination.
Other problems are prevalent throughout the previous art. First, the devices illuminate a fixed area around the writing instrument, and can be adjusted only by moving the position of the device relative to the paper. Second, the light emitted from devices of the previous is diffuse and uneven. Third, there is no adjustability of the diameter of the light beam.
These problems arise in various circumstances. First, when it is necessary to see multiple areas of a page simultaneously, such as when data or information is being copied. The previous devices necessitate that the user move the lighted instrument back and forth between parts of the page to transfer the information. This can be annoying, disorienting, and lead to errors during copying. One attempt to deal with this problem is disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. No. 329,823, issued in the name of Francisco. A light bulb is disclosed, mounted on the far end of the writing instrument, with respect to the paper. Such an arrangement, however, does not provide sufficient illumination. The light is diffused in a 360-degree orientation, and is not strong enough to illuminate more than a small surface area. Also, there is no way to focus the light in any particular direction, such as to focus on a particular segment of a paper.
Attempts to provide for coverage of larger surface area include devices such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,204, issued in the name of Lin et al. This device discloses a lamp, lamp reflector and a light reflecting sleeve, such that the light travels through the body of the pen holder. However, such illumination is nonadjustable in direction, uneven, and too diffuse to adequately illuminate a large segment of the page. Also, such devices do not provide the type of room light people are accustomed to using. Instead, these devices create a type of glowing light that can be disorienting.
Another circumstance which the related art fails to address is the situation where the writing instrument is not used perpendicular to the paper being written on, such as when writing on a vertically oriented page, or writing on paper in the person's lap. In these situations, the previous art fails to provide for movement of the focal point of the illuminating device to a direction that facilitates easier writing without changing the orientation of the writing instrument itself.
Another common instance that the previous art fails to adequately address is the one in which the user desires to adjust the diameter of the light beam being emitted, such as when a passenger in a vehicle wishes to utilize a light but not cause a glare that can disturb a driver.
Other attempts to address these illumination problems, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,775, issued in the name of Chen, utilize complex electronic circuitry, which makes the devices difficult to manufacture and expensive. Also, these types of devices have only an unidirectional orientation, and do not allow for the adjustment of light beam diameter.
Tangentially relevant to the present invention are the combination pen and light pointer devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,897, issued in the name of Halsey. These devices, however, are not designed for the purpose of illuminating the paper being written on. In fact, the illuminating and writing components of these devices do not function simultaneously. These devices are designed for convenience, with two separate components stored in one device. These devices allow the user to point to items on wall charts and the like, and at a later time, also use the writing device. As such, they do not fulfill the function of the present invention. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus and method which overcomes the problems cited above.